The present invention relates to footwear such as slippers, and more particularly to therapeutic slippers, especially those containing heat and cold retentive materials, so as to permit heating and cooling of a person""s feet when wearing the slippers.
It is a common problem for many people, especially people who experience poor circulation, or who are elderly or disabled, to have either cold feet or warm swollen feet. In either case, it is well known that externally heating or cooling the feet, as the case may be, is an effective way to return the feet to an acceptable and comfortable temperature. Various types of footwear, essentially socks, slippers or boots, for warming or cooling the feet, are known. In general, known prior art footwear is ineffective, inconvenient, cumbersome, heavy and uncomfortable, which are all serious disadvantages, particularly for the elderly and those people with muscle or circulation problems who regularly suffer from cold feet or from swollen feet.
One type of footwear is an electric sock that essentially comprises a sock that is typically made from thick woollen material, or the like, and having thin heating wires disposed within the material. These socks require a battery to be worn within a small pouch in order to heat the wires in the sock; however, the heat that is generated is typically very minimal. Further, cooling of the foot is not possible.
Other types of therapeutic footwear contain a heat and/or cold retentive material within such as a gel material, or even water. The heat and/or cold retentive material is contained within a plastic container or flexible plastic pouch, and can be heated or cooled. Specific prior art of this type will now be discussed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,221 issued Jan. 7, 1997 to Owens, discloses a Therapeutic Footwear Method, U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,693 to Owens, issued Oct. 25, 1994, Discloses Footwear with Therapeutic Pad, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,541 issued to Owens, Aug. 23, 1994, also discloses Footwear With Therapeutic Pad. Each of these patents to Owens teaches the use of a therapeutic pad in a slipper-type article of footwear. In one embodiment, an article of footwear has an opening at the back and an elongate therapeutic pad is inserted into the slipper. One half of the elongate therapeutic pad is inserted into the left half of the slipper and the other half of the therapeutic pad is inserted into the right half of the slipper, so as to form a xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d-shape around the sides and back of the slipper. In another embodiment, the therapeutic pad is inserted into the slipper between the tongue and the top surface of the upper portion of the slipper.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,598 to Tucker, issued Sep. 24, 1991, discloses a Body Warming Bladder that is used in various articles, such as a slipper. The elongate bladder contains a heated liquid and is disposed along the left and right sides of the slipper and around the front of the slipper. The bladder is made from a waterproof material and is formed from two sheets secured together around the peripheral edges by heat sealing or a suitable adhesive. A cap closure closes over a filling opening in the front of the bladder.
It is also known that a slipper-like boot is available on the market, as manufactured and marketed by C.I.M. Gifts, of Forest, Ontario, Canada. This slipper-like boot is believed to be a single piece of cloth material having a central compartment containing a large quantity of grain and with two ends of the cloth material folded over and partially stitched together to form the slipper-like boot shape. This slipper-like boot has a number of drawbacks including the fact that the main pouch generally forms the sole of the slipper and therefore the wearer is walking on most of the grain, which is highly undesirable especially for the elderly or the disabled. Further, because there is only a single pouch, the grain is not disposed on top of the wearer""s foot. Accordingly, this slipper type boot cannot readily be worn around while walking, and does not do an overly effective job of keeping a person""s foot warm or cold, as desired, due to the lack of a heated material and/or an insulating material anywhere but below the wearer""s foot.
The above stated disadvantages can be overcome with footwear comprised of compartments or pockets that are filled with a temperature-retentive granular material, (e.g. natural grain) such that the footwear can be heated or cooled. Compartments give form, structure and shape to the footwear.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic slipper that can be worn comfortably while walking.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic slipper that warms or cools the entire upper surface of the foot.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic slipper that warms or cools the entire upper surface of the foot evenly.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic slipper that does not leak the liquid material.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic slipper that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic slipper that permits walking in a normal and comfortable manner.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a novel therapeutic slipper for retaining heat or cold. The therapeutic slipper comprises a sole, and an upper portion disposed in overlying relation above the sole. The upper portion has a plurality of compartments, with each compartment comprising an outer layer of material and an inner layer of material, and with at least two of the compartments containing a temperature-retentive granular material.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a novel therapeutic slipper for retaining heat or cold. The therapeutic slipper comprises a sole and an upper portion disposed in overlying relation above the sole. The upper portion has at least one compartment, with each compartment comprising an outer layer of material and an inner layer of material, and with the at least one compartment containing a quantity of temperature-retentive granular material. The sole is void of compartments containing a temperature-retentive granular material.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a novel therapeutic slipper for retaining heat or cold. The therapeutic slipper comprises a sole and an upper portion disposed in overlying relation above the sole. The upper portion has a plurality of compartments, with each compartment comprising an outer layer of material and an inner layer of material. At least one pouch contains a quantity of temperature-retentive granular material, with the at least one pouch being disposed within a corresponding compartment of the upper portion.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a novel method of fabricating a therapeutic slipper that retains heat or cold. The method comprising the steps of: (a) forming a sole having a perimeter; (b) forming an upper portion having a plurality of compartments with each compartment comprising an outer layer of material and an inner layer of material, and the at least one compartment containing a temperature-retentive granular material; (c) attaching the upper portion to the sole so as to form an interior pocket to accommodate a wearer""s foot, and such that a gap temporarily remains between the sole and one of the outer layer of material and the inner layer of material for each compartment, each the gap permitting the ingress of temperature-retentive granular material into the respective compartment; (d) adding a quantity of temperature-retentive granular material into each compartment; and, (e) closing each gap to preclude the escape of temperature-retentive granular material from the respective gap.
The therapeutic slipper according to the present invention comprises cloth footwear that can be heated in the microwave or cooled in a freezer and then worn to keep the feet and toes either warm or cool while freely walking about or sitting or lying down. The therapeutic slipper can be placed in the microwave oven for approximately 2-3 minutes, depending on the power of the microwave oven, or in the freezer for approximately 3-4 hours, depending on the temperature of the freezer, and also depending on the size of the slipper and temperature needs of the wearer. The footwear remains warm or cool for 30-40 minutes depending on the length of time in the microwave or freezer and the foot itself remains warm or cold even longer. The therapeutic slipper comprises compartments (pockets or sections) that contain a natural grain that has a particular property of retaining heat or cold for extended periods of time. The compartments and the associated support stitching, and also the selection of material, result in comfortable, flexible and effective therapeutic footwear. This therapeutic slipper is intended primarily to help the elderly who quite often have circulation problems causing cold feet, people with various illnesses and disabilities causing cold feet and those who need a cold application to relieve an inflamed foot.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention provides a therapeutic slipper intended to warm or cool the foot. This unique slipper combines the advantages of a heat/cold pad but with the mobility, comfort and flexibility of the slipper. The slipper contains a natural grain that retains heat or cold when placed in a microwave or freezer for a specific period of time. Compartments or pockets make up the slipper and contain the grain. The compartments are positioned in the slipper to provide maximum heat or cold distribution to specific, sensitive areas of the foot. This also enables more uniform, consistent heat or cold distribution throughout the slipper. The grain is allowed to move freely within each compartment of the slipper and the grain is prevented from shifting from one end of the slipper to the other, thereby providing consistent, focused heat or cold application. The compartments enable structure, support and firmness to the slipper making it more upright and therefore easy to wear and comfortable. Without the compartments the grain would settle to the bottom and would make it almost impossible to place the slipper on the foot. The size of the compartments dictates the quantity of grain in the slipper. The correct amount of grain is required to ensure proper heat or cold absorption and retention of same.
Other advantages, features and characteristics of the present invention, as well as methods of operation and functions of the related elements of the structure, and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, the latter of which is briefly described hereinbelow.